<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Mercury is in retrograde again this week. It's the celestial phenomenon that astrologists love to blame for everything -  from messy breakups to Wi-Fi meltdowns.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But what is actually happening during the much-maligned planetary event? </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Space expert Sara Webb, from Melbourne's Swinburne University, says there is nothing to worry about, because the truth is, it's all a cosmic illusion.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/chris-baghsarian-remains-found-in-search-for-missing-grandfather-sydney/66bdff80-d78a-4f28-974f-a9b31bf840be" rel="" target="" title="Two arrested over alleged kidnapping, murder of Sydney grandfather"><strong><span>Two arrested over alleged kidnapping, murder of Sydney grandfather</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Despite how it looks from your backyard, Mercury isn't actually reversing its orbit. That would involve breaking several fundamental laws of physics.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"A retrograde is when a planet appears to move backwards from its regular motion in the night sky," Webb said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Think of it like being in a fast car on a freeway. When you pull into the fast lane and overtake a slower car, for a brief moment, that slower car looks like it's moving backward relative to you.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/why-mercury-will-look-like-its-going-backwards-this-week/e0d1c3d2-a756-44e9-a971-0159fe75ea4d" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Because Mercury sits closer to the Sun, it regularly zips past Earth. As it overtakes us, our perspective from the ground makes it look like the tiny planet has done a U-turn.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It's a humble reminder that we exist in the solar system of millions of other objects orbiting the same beautiful star, just at different rates," Webb said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>While the "retrograde" part is just a trick of the light, Mercury itself is actually quite a hardened survivor.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Scientists now believe the planet used to be much larger. It's theorised that a massive, ancient collision stripped away its outer layers, leaving behind the dense, metallic world we see today. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We have precise measurements of its motion, size, and composition," Webb said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>While we understand exactly how it moves, there is zero evidence that its planetary shimmy has any impact on our lives.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://9.nine.com.au/8x987w" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>ticking this box here</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Sign up to</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://login.nine.com.au/edm?client_id=nineatnine" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>our breaking newsletter here</span></em></strong></a></li></ul></div></div>